Having grown up in the city and now planning multi-state tours, the artist shares his life and values

By Alyssa Earnest

After releasing his EP “Directions” and performing at Harlow’s, Sacramento-based musician Jon Wiilde plans to play more shows and reach more listeners with his messages of positivity and appreciation for his loved ones.

Sacramento native Wiilde was brought up by a father who played bass guitar in college. The catalyst for Wiilde’s music career was when he picked up the bass at age 12, wanting to emulate his father.

“That grew into more instruments as I got older,” Wiilde said. “I was enthralled by it. I just wanted to do it all the time.”

Wiilde’s interest in music led him to Rock Inc., a music school and recording studio in Citrus Heights. He began as an intern and worked his way up to running the school and officially owning the shop.

“I have been running this place for 10 years,” said Wiilde. “I taught lessons for eight years, and then transitioned out of it because I felt like I needed to make a jump to pursue being an artist full time.”

Wiilde’s music varies from rap beats to soft, melodic piano. As a childhood fan of various artists like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin and Nipsey Hussle, Wiilde instills these sundry flavors of music into his own discography.

His leading song on Spotify, “Carry On” boasts over 1 million streams and has a pop/rap sound that shares Wiilde’s ideology of pushing on no matter what hardships or negativity occur. The song includes clever wordplay, with references to Evander Holyfield and John Lennon.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, his slow love ballad “Home Is You” conveys the message that “home ain’t a house that’s built for two,” but home is with each other.

Wiilde performed in multiple bands during high school that differ from the sound he makes today.

“I was in a band called City of Kings,” said Wiilde. “And the first ‘real’ band I was in was called Divine Departure. I got to do Warped Tour Battle of The Bands with my metal core band, but I was never a singer in these bands; I would play bass.”

Wiilde also cites community as one of his core values and an integral part of his music. During his show at Harlow’s on Sept. 21, Wiilde praised those that helped decorate the guitar he used at the show.

During the show, Wiilde told the crowd how his father, who was in attendance, inspired his song “Family Things.” Wiilde said he wrote the song about his father’s chemo treatment and the uncertainty of not knowing if he was going to see his father again.

Since the release of his EP “Directions” on Sept. 10, Wiilde said he plans on pushing “Home Is You” to more listeners and releasing merch. His next performance will be at Powerhouse in Folsom on Nov. 6 with Beach Weather.

This story was originally published in The State Hornet.